Quam Parva Sit Terra
Quid porro aut praeclarum putet in rebus humanis, qui haec deorum regna perspexerit, aut diuturnum, qui cognoverit, quid sit aeternum, aut gloriosum, qui viderit, quam parva sit terra? (Cicero, De Re Publica)
Congratulations to the Spring 2024 graduates in Classics—Alex Cain, a double major in Latin and Biology, will be heading to EVMS for grad school next year, and VWU Latin major alumna Mary-Catherine Rigg just completed VWU’s Masters program in Education—we are proud of them both, and look forward to hearing about all their accomplishments in years to come!
2024 VWU Classics Department Symposium
On May 3, 2024, as part of VWU's Academic Symposium, Classics held its annual Classics Symposium, and enjoyed a delicious eranos catered by Classics Club member Sarah Blackburn. Both papers were publication-worthy!
Regis Collins presents "The Character of Achilles and the Simile of Iliad 16.7-11."
Alex Cain presents "Adulescens Integer Vitae: Horace’s Odes 1.22, Roman New Comedy, and the Elegiac Lover."
Wednesday's Second Annual VWU Olympics!
Sponsored by Spectrum, Poetry Club, Eta Sigma Phi, and Classics Club
Wednesday's Second Annual VWU Olympics!
Sponsored by Spectrum, Poetry Club, Eta Sigma Phi, and Classics Club
Wednesday's Second Annual VWU Olympics!
Sponsored by Spectrum, Poetry Club, Eta Sigma Phi, and Classics Club
Site authored and maintained by Benjamin Haller. Click links at the top of the page for his CV and Teaching info, as well as information on Obtaining Teaching Certification at VWU and VWU Classics Events.
Classics at VWU is incredibly grateful to Charlaine Lunsford for an amazing presentation on her time in Rome and on what she loves about Classics.
Her talk, which took place on February 28 in the Lighthouse, was attended by approximately 25-30 students. Charlaine went above and beyond in her preparation in offering us a well-prepared feast of images, reflections, and fun facts about the eternal city and Italy, and her talk elicited excellent questions from the students in attendance. We are more grateful than words can express to Charlaine for sharing her experiences and time with us in such an engaging and fun way!
Research News from VWU Classics....
Dr. Haller's book, Greco-Roman Literature and Culture in the Imagination of Virginia's Tidewater Region, 1607-1826: The Empire of the Mind is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It appears in May 2024!
Dr. Haller is incredibly grateful to have been selected for a 2024 Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies Summer Research Fellowship for his next Project, Citizens Forged in Flame and Song: the Homeric Hermes, the Apatouria and the Peisistratids.
VWU Classics Tee Shirts!
If you would like a tee shirt reading "Universitas Studiorum Classicorum Facultate Carens est Sicut Corpus Animā Destitutum" ("A University Lacking a Classics Department is like a Body Lacking a Soul"), email Ben Haller at bhaller@vwu.edu: proceeds will go to VWU's Classics Club and Eta Sigma Phi. The artwork is Reinhold Begas's "Pan Comforting Psyche" from the Alte Nationalgallerie in Berlin.
Thanks to our intrepid student drivers, the near-saintly patience of Mike Pettry in Purchasing, some lively and knowledgeable guides, and most of all to our ever-enthusiastic and intellectually-curious students, CLAS 360 Classical Virginia enjoyed fun and informative travels to a snow-blanketed Charlottesville and to the Smithsonian Museums (American History and African-American History and Culture), National Archives, and Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. during J-Term 2024.
Happy Winter Solstice to all, and a joyous and peaceful holiday season! To those who celebrate, we wish you a Merry Christmas.
In ancient Rome, as many will be aware, this time of year was the festival of Saturn, or Saturnalia. More generally, as James George Frazer famously posited, often on somewhat dubious evidence, the Winter Solstice held great significance for many traditional cultures around the world.
Felix solstitium hiemale omnibus! Meminimus hodie praeceptorum Jacobi Frazerii, qui asseveravit (paucis hodie scriptis eius, saepe in argumentis non satis firmis fundatis, omnino assentientibus) homines priscae aetatis mundi in naturae statu viventes aureum ramum (id est, viscum album) colere, credentes hanc plantam vim solis per hiemale anni tempus reconditam servare. Scriptores pictoresque plurimi, hanc doctrinam de deo qui ab Frazerio et aliis eius scholae nonnumquam "eniautos daimon" aut "eniausios daimon" appellatus est, amplectentes, multa magnae pulchritudinis opera creaverunt, sicut picturam illam Turnerii Sibyllam et Aenean ramum illum aureum quaerentes fingentem.
Hic possunt inveniri verba Frazerii de solstitio hiemali:
https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/the-golden-bough-abridged-ed/108007/
Quisquis sis et cuiusque fidei, nos apud Facultatem Studiorum Universitatis Virginiae Wesleianae Classicorum optamus tibi ferias quam felicissimas! Sit tibi hic novus annus prosperus et propitius, et ferat omnia bona, et in terra fiat pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Image: J.M.W. Turner's The Golden Bough
Congratulations to the 2023 Classics Award Winners!
Whitney Leao, Mary-Catherine Rigg, Aleya Roberts, and Raegan Collins received their well-earned Classics awards at the 4/27/2023 Honors Convocation.
Eta Sigma Phi Initiations2023
Congratulations to Kirkland Butler and Whitney Leao, our newest members of the Iota Mu Chapter of Eta Sigma Phi! Whitney and Kirkland were inducted in a ceremony on May 4, 2023.
For collecting, and for publishing (the second option, that is)! Summer 2023 Classics at VWU has completed a revise and resubmit of an article, is doing final revisions on one book project under contract, and is plugging away at a few more we hope to have out in the next few years.
Our Latin textbook (Laetabere!) is among the latter group we are plugging away at. Portsmouth Public Schools' Upwards Bound Students will get to to test drive the chapters below during a two-week Latin mini-session this summer.
Laetabere! 1 Asinus Apuleius Textbook3.pdfLaetabere! A Latin Textbook Based on Apuleius
A teaser for Dr. Haller's Latin textbook, which pairs Latin geared to Apuleius with introductions to the use of Latin and Greek roots in the technical vocabulary of STEM disciplines and Law. This is the draft version of Chapter 1. (C) Benjamin Haller.
Laetabere! 2 Gender of Nouns and Neuter Second Declesions-2.pdfLaetabere! Chapter 2: More teasers!
This and the above are both (C) Benjamin Haller.
Laetabere! 3 Second Declension--Dative Genitive-Ablative-7.pdfLaetabere! Chapter 3: More teasers!
This and the above are (C) Benjamin Haller.
Laetabere! 4 Second Declension--Plurals-12.pdfLaetabere! Chapter 4: More teasers!
This and the above are (C) Benjamin Haller.
Chariot races!
Greek food and the poetry club (background); behind us is the tie dyeing station.
More scenes from the chariot races.
πρὸς τῶι Ἀλφειῶι ~ βατράχοι!
A good time was had by all at the 2023 Spectrum/Poetry Club/Eta Sigma Phi/Classics Club Olympics! 30+ students attended the event. Chariots were raced (and crashed), races were run, javelins thrown, paper aged, poetry written, and shirts tie dyed! Thank you to all who helped to make it a success—and a special thank you to Sodexo for doing a great job with our Greek food order!
Spectrum, Poetry Club, Classics Club, and Eta Sigma Phi will host our own campus Olympics on Saturday, April 29. Come throw a discus, share some food, tie dye a tee shirt, and more! The following week, on May 4, we will hold our annual Eta Sigma Phi initiation for new initiates. For more information about either of these events, contact Benjamin Haller at bhaller@vwu.edu.
Join VWU Classics Club and/or Eta Sigma Phi and Participate in Board Games, Vase Painting, Movie Nights, AIA Talks, and More!
Students do vase painting at our 3/2/2023 Meeting.
Archaeologist Position Request Presentation Classics-6-14-2023-3.pptxHere is the slide show that accompanied our presentation in support of our 2023 application for a second tenure line in Classics.
Link here, if file to the left does not open: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HYLQvt8xD_gQpN7gtc2bumUKwCWak5Zu/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=113339063998417870358&rtpof=true&sd=true
Registration for Spring 2023 is coming soon! Join us in Classics for new adventures!
PROPOSAL FOR THREE-CLASS POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE
This semester we proposed the creation of a three-class Post-Baccalaureate certificate in Latin and Classical Civ. Latin and Greek are core to our identity as a program: I have always said that the day the Latin program goes away at VWU is the day I go on the job market. This proposal, it is hoped, will continue to expand our offerings and with time perhaps lead to the creation of a Master's Program. If approved, students will be able to take classes either in person or remotely, making it a convenient credential for a wide range of students.
Felicem Solstitiam Autumnalem!
Fall semester 2022 is upon us. This year our classics club and Eta Sigma Phi have met several times for movie nights, hieroglyphics club, and to discuss jump-starting our chapter of Peter Meineck's Warrior Chorus. Turn-out for our first meeting was 18 students, and we hope to continue our momentum as the semester nears its fifth week. Our January Term course this year will be CLAS 120 Classical Archaeology. Last year CAMWS generously gave Eta Sigma Phi $250 to use for club activities, and we are hoping to use some of this to see Virginia Opera's Valkyrie this semester. Spring Semester highlights include a Section of CLAS 330 on "Ancient Epic: Homer and the Tradition of the Trojan War" and CLAS 310 Demigods, Demagogues, and Demos (Topics in Greek History). Come and join us on our adventures!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022 CLASSICS AWARD WINNERS!
AWARD RECIPIENTS ARE GIVEN A LATIN CERTIFICATE COMMEMORATING THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND A MYTHOLOGICAL BOBBLE-HEAD (Showcased here by Dr. Haller's son Keats).
We commend your strenuos labores and your many accomplishments, both past and to come.
Self Study July 5 2021-10SENTrev8 (4) (4).pdfOur 2021 Self-Study Completed to Support Our Bid for a Second Faculty Member in Classics (Complete Document).
See Below for a Short Summary in PPTX form.
SUMMER AT VWU CLASSICS
Though classes may have ended in May, VWU Classics remains busy throughout the summer. This summer Dr. Haller taught a four-class Latin series for the Upward Bound program on VWU's campus, completed two book chapters, participated in a live reading of the entirety of Herodotus's Histories (Ben read the secton on Babylon in Herodotus's original Greek) with Trinity University, Ireland, completed the annual administrative forms for the Classics Department Programs in Latin and Classical Civ (our PAF and SLAR), worked on other upcoming publications, and prepared the paper which he will be presenting at the Society for Classical Studies Annual Meeting in January of 2023.
New Faculty Position Proposal2022-5Submitted.pdfVWU Classics submitted our request for a second Classics tenure track line with a specialization in Archaeology on 4-1-2022! Read our proposal here.
COURSES IN LATIN AND CLASSICAL CIV: FALL 2022!
Email Benjamin Haller (bhaller@vwu.edu) for more information.
JOIN US THURSDAY AT 6:30 FOR A CLASSICS CLUB / ETA SIGMA PHI CAMPY COLLEGE MOVIE NIGHT!
CONTACT BEN HALLER (bhaller@vwu.edu) FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Congratulations to Classical Studies major Cecilia Ward, and to all VWU's December 2021 graduates!! Congratulations as well to our graduation speaker Mavis McKenley (Class of 2011), one of the best commencement speakers it has been our privilege to hear across our 25 years of university commencement-going!
Read Dr. Haller's most recent article (in Arethusa, published by Johns Hopkins University press) here!
This paper was originally written for the 2019 meeting of the Classical Representations area of SWPACA, where it was delivered as:
"The Surprise Endings of Lars Von Trier’s 2003 "Dogville" and Euripides’s "Medea": Teaching an Unexpected Theodicy in the Modern Mythology Classroom "
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/841172/summary
On Saturday, November 6, 2021 twelve students from the Classics Club and Eta Sigma Phi braved flooded streets to visit the Chrysler Museum for our Classics Museum Day. Students were given a scavenger hunt to help them tour the collection while tracking down works from Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Indian antiquity and learning more about them. Above is Angelica Kaufmann's Telemachus being Reunited with his Mother, representing a scene from Homer's Odyssey.
The Mountaintop Coalition (not affiliated with VWU Classics, though we are staunch fans!) is offering valuable assistance with interviews at the SCS-AIA: https://www.mountaintopcoalition.org/
"In the leadup to the upcoming SCS-AIA meeting, we would like to offer the opportunity to conduct mock interviews for anyone with upcoming interviews. We will also offer paper presentation practice sessions, or a paper exchange with other members, if you are presenting at the joint meeting and would like some feedback beforehand."
CLASSICS DEPARTMENT COURSE OFFERINGS SPRING 2022
LATIN
LATN 112, 213, 305/306 (Upper Level topics also Offered On Demand)
FULFILLS YOUR LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
VWU Now Offers A Latin Teaching Endorsement!!
LATN 112 meets MTWF 12:00-12:50
Learn about mythological heroes, emperors misbehaving, Romans in search of a homeland, Catullus in love, Ovid’s in nova mutatas formas corpora. In the process, gain a better understanding of English grammar and writing skills while mastering the roots of scientific and legal terms. More than any other language, Latin can help you get into and succeed in medical school, law school, teaching, or virtually anywhere in the job market, and let you read some pretty amazing literature in the process. VWU now offers a VDOE teaching endorsement in Latin!
LATN 305: TOPICS IN LATIN PROSE
Ammianus Marcellinus: the History of the Age of Julian the Apostate
Ammianus Marcellinus served in the military under the emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus, the nephew of Constantine the Great, and accompanied him on his campaigns in what is today modern Iraq. Composing a (now partially lost) history of Rome which picks up from where Tacitus ended his narrative, Ammianus provides a first-hand account not only of the imperial court in a Roman Empire which had by this time acquired a second capital in Constantinople in the Greek East, but also of Julian’s ill-fated march into Persia in emulation of Alexander the Great, and of Julian’s failed attempt to rebrand traditional Greco-Roman polytheism as an effective competitor to Christianity. To a modern readership reared on Game of Thrones and J.R.R. Tolkien, Ammianus sometimes has almost the feel of a fantasy novel, detailing daring raids, difficult sieges, and perfidious politicking. His excursus compile a wealth of information, even providing minute instructions for building your own catapult. In this class, students read the portions of Ammianus recounting the reign of Julian.
ROMAN HISTORY
CLAS 210
CROSS-LISTED WITH WES 200: Emperors of Antiquity: Men, Gods, Monsters
Rome: Generations of historians have puzzled over how the world's first republic evolved from a monarchy, only to emerge like a phoenix from the conflagration of its civil wars into an opulent but troubled empire. It inspired (via Edward Gibbon) the "Empire" in Star Wars, as well as the Founding Fathers of the U.S. The subject of this course is ROME, urbs et orbis, city and empire: the story of its rulers, their conquests, diversions, literature, and religious ideologies. This iteration of Roman History examines in seminar format primary readings chronicling the evolution of concepts of monarchic rule, beginning with a brief review of Herodotus’ accounts of Greek and Lydian tyrants, moving to Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic kingdoms, which provide the building blocks for Rome’s empire, and then progressing on to an examination of the aftermath of Caesar’s and Augustus’ attempts at subverting Rome’s republican constitution. We also consider fictional re-imaginings of the story of Rome’s rulers: Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels and the new Apple TV Foundation series, Star Wars, and more.
WOMEN IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
CLAS 350 (Fulfills Breadth Requirement, counts toward WGS Major)
Did Sappho really leap from the Leucadian Rock? Is Herodotus’ story true that Phye dressed up to impersonate Athena to win Peisistratus the tyranny of Athens? How do you recognize a representation of a priestess in Greek art? Was Aspasia a courtesan, as Aristophanes tells us, or a well-respected intellectual, responsible, as other sources allege, for writing her common-law husband Pericles’ funeral oration for him? In ancient Rome, was Agrippina a poisoner and emperor-maker, feared even by her son Nero to the point of inspiring him to murder her? And what about the strong women of Hellenistic Egypt such as Berenike and Cleopatra? In Women in the Ancient World students will explore the lives of the women of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt and the status, rights, roles, and restrictions which they claimed and which society imposed on them. We will also address issues such as how the ancients defined the family and individuals’ roles within it, their understanding of femininity and masculinity; the effects which status, wealth, wars, and myth had on the way in which women and gender were constructed by Greeks and Romans.
CLASSICAL VIRGINIA
CLAS 360
***JANUARY 2022 WINTER SESSION***
How was Shakespeare’s The Tempest inspired by a real shipwreck suffered by would-be Jamestown colonists in Bermuda? What do Captain John Smith and Odysseus have in common? How did the Greek pleasure-seeking philosopher Epicurus influence Thomas Jefferson? How do the buildings we see around us every day appropriate the architectural vocabulary of Classical Greek and Roman temples and civic spaces to send a message about the function and sanctity of a space? Did you know that the first English literary work composed in the New World was an Ovid translation, written by George Sandys right in our own back yard in the midst of the Powhatan uprising of Opechancanough—and that this was the Ovid translation read by Latinless English Romantic poets like John Keats? Students will learn about how Greek and Roman literature, art, architecture, and political ideas helped to shape the U.S., with a special focus on Virginia. The course includes day trips to Charlottesville, Williamsburg/Jamestown, and Norfolk.
SPRING 2022 CLASSICS COURSE SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE!
DISCE DE FEMINIS ILLUSTRIBUS IN GRAECIA, IMPERIO ROMANO, ET AEGYPTO HABITANTIBUS!
LEGE LIBROS SPLENDIDISSIMOS GRAECORUM, AFRICANORUM, ROMANORUMQUE EX QUIBUS PLURIMI TEMPORIS POSTERIORIS LIBRI ORIUNTUR!
LOQUERE CUM DR. HALLER SI VIS DE LECTURIS FACULTATIS STUDIORUM CLASSICORUM PLUS NOSCERE!
Before COVID-19 began, VWU Classics obtained the permission of our administration to conduct an External Review of our Classics program in order to document its long-term success at VWU since the program's beginning in 2001 and Dr. Haller's arrival in 2008, and also to lay a foundation for future growth of the program. We are happy to announce that we have this very month completed our 239-page draft of the Self Study which will serve as the foundation for this external review, and provided copies to relevant external audiences and VWU administrators. The study, authored by Ben Haller and drawing on data provided by VWU's Office of Institutional Research, documents significant growth in the program, including consistent enrollments in Latin at all levels of the intro-intermediate sequence (LATN 111, LATN 112, LATN 213) since 2008 that regularly top the largest enrollment in ANY Latin class EVER prior to 2008, a twofold increase in average number of students taking 300-level Latin since 2008, numbers of majors per faculty member that outstrip much larger faculties, and highly enthusiastic student evaluations of teaching.
Departmental Presentation External Review Classics.pdfThe Classics Presentation on our Self Study for External Review, which we presented to Foreign Languages and Literatures on 9/23/2021 (though we did not end up going through all the above slides, as faculty had read the entire Self Study, and ended up having a few more specific questions and not requiring the entire presentation.)
Dies Natalis! Abigail Helen Kaye Haller
Ἄρτεμιν (οὐ γὰρ ἐλαφρὸν ἀειδόντεσσι λαθέσθαι)
ὑμνέομεν, τῇ τόξα λαγωβολίαι τε μέλονται
καὶ χορὸς ἀμφιλαφὴς καὶ ἐν οὔρεσιν ἑψιάασθαι,
ἄρχμενοι, ὡς ὅτε πατρὸς ἐφεζομένη γονάτεσσι
παῖς ἔτι κουρίζουσα τάδε προσέειπε γονῆα
‘δός μοι παρθενίην αἰώνιον, ἄππα, φυλάσσειν,
καὶ πολυωνυμίην, ἵνα μή μοι Φοῖβος ἐρίζῃ.
δὸς δ᾽ ἰοὺς καὶ τόξα—ἔα, πάτερ, οὔ σε Φαρέτρην
οὐδ᾽ αἰτέω μέγα τόξον: ἐμοὶ Κύκλωπες ὀιστοὺς
αὐτίκα τεχνήσονται, ἐμοὶ δ᾽ εὐκαμπὲς ἄεμμα:
ἀλλὰ φαεσφορίην τε καὶ ἐς γόνυ μέχρι χιτῶνα
ζώννυσθαι λεγνωτόν, ἵν᾽ ἄγρια θηρία καίνω.
δὸς δέ μοι ἑξήκοντα χορίτιδας Ὠκεανίνας,
πάσας εἰνέτεας, πάσας ἔτι παῖδας ἀμίτρους.
δὸς δέ μοι ἀμφιπόλους Ἀμνισίδας εἴκοσι νύμφας,
αἵ τέ μοι ἐνδρομίδας τε καὶ ὁππότε μηκέτι λύγκας
μήτ᾽ ἐλάφους βάλλοιμι, θοοὺς κύνας εὖ κομέοιεν,
δὸς δέ μοι οὔρεα πάντα: πόλιν δέ μοι ἥντινα νεῖμον
ἥντινα λῇς: σπαρνὸν γὰρ ὅτ᾽ Ἄρτεμις ἄστυ κάτεισιν:
οὔρεσιν οἰκήσω, πόλεσιν δ᾽ ἐπιμείξομαι ἀνδρῶν
μοῦνον ὅτ᾽ ἐξείῃσιν ὑπ᾽ ὠδίνεσσι γυναῖκες
τειρόμεναι καλέουσι βοηθόον, ᾗσί με Μοῖραι
γεινομένην τὸ πρῶτον ἐπεκλήρωσαν ἀρήγειν,
ὅττι με καὶ τίκτουσα καὶ οὐκ ἤλγησε φέρουσα
μήτηρ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀμογητὶ φίλων ἀπεθήκατο γυίων.’
-Callimachus of Cyrene
Classics Faculty member Ben Haller and his wife Jessica celebrated the birth of their daughter (Jessica's first and Ben's second, joining the irrepressible Keats William, Ben's from his previous marriage) on August 5 at 6:12 p.m. Welcome to planet earth, Abigail Helen Kaye Haller!
Abigail's first name comes from her aunt on Jessica's side. Her first middle name honors Ben's grandmother Helen Burket, who passed away last December, but also recalls another Helene of days gone by. The second middle name comes from Ben's mother Judith Kaye.
We at Classics at VWU are proud to teach at an institution with a creed that includes values of religious freedom, an integrated liberal arts perspective, honorable behavior, and appreciation of diversity and our multicultural society. We cannot imagine a better statement of core values.
Congratulations to Alex Cain and Aleya Roberts, the 2021 Classics Award Recipients for Freshman Latin Student!!
Both have excelled in Medieval Latin, and have shown their acumen in Classics in other classes in a wide range of pursuits, including Latin and English verse composition. We congratulate them on their achievements, and look forward to more to come!
Congratulations to our new Eta Sigma Phi members!
VWU's Chapter of Eta Sigma Phi initiated its new initiates (in a responsibly socially-distanced fashion) on 4/16/2021.
Come Join Us!
Fall 2021 Classics Courses at VWU
Come Join Us!
Fall 2021 Classics Courses at VWU
A Farewell to a Year of COVID-19!
Despite the challenges of social distancing, masks, and, at times, serious illnesses among our students and faculty resulting from COVID-19, we still had a wonderful time journeying to distant places and times through the study of ancient literature.
During the 2020-2021 Academic Year, Dr. Haller taught the following classes:
20/S4 CLAS*210 50 Roman History
20/FA CLAS*330 01 Tpc:North African Authors
20/FA LATN*111 01 Beginning Latin I
20/FA LATN*213 01 Intermediate Latin
20/FA LATN*306 01 TU:Tpcs in Latin Poetry: Ovid
20/FA WES*100 13 Greek and Roman Mythology
21/JT CLAS*360 01 Classical Virginia
21/SP CLAS*310 01 Tpc:Demigods/Demagogues&Demos
21/SP CLAS*430 01 TU: Senior Thesis Seminar
21/SP LATN*112 01 Beginning Latin II
21/SP LATN*305 01 Tpc in Latin Prose: Medieval
21/SP LATN*492 01 GS: Teaching Assistant
21/SP WES*300 03 Tpc: Demigods/ Demagogues/Dem
For the comments on Dr. Haller's evaluations of teaching in these courses, please click the link titled "Teaching" in the navigation bar for the page.
Announcements Spring-Summer 2021
VWU Classics continues to stay active, even as we stay socially distanced and adjust to the vagaries of remote classes (more for our own children than for VWU, which is back to face-to-face classes with a remarkable success rate of keeping COVID-19 levels on campus to near-zero).
§ When VWC became VWU, we lost access to our old Facebook page: we now have a new one! We are not accepting friend requests there, but ARE posting updates on our Eta Sigma Phi chapter and Classics Club events to the associated page: https://www.facebook.com/Greek-Latin-and-Classical-Civilization-at-Virginia-Wesleyan-University-171506091296421
§ VWU Classics continues to offer Latin teacher certification, and, despite the strange times, Latin teaching jobs DO continue to appear on job posting websites. Contact Ben Haller (bhaller@vwu.edu) to come sit in on a class if you think you might like to pursue a career teaching Latin at VWU.
§ Our Eta Sigma Phi chapter will host two virtual speakers this semester: stay tuned for updates soon!
§ And, on the topic of events, Ben Haller presented on his research virtually on Black Orpheus at the 42nd annual meeting of SWPACA:
His topic was Marcel Camus' use of James George Frazer's Golden Bough in his representations of Carnival in the highly problematic French-Brazilian 1959 film Black Orpheus. Vinicius Moraes, the author of the play upon which it was based, and Barack Obama, among many others, have recorded reactions ranging from dislike to repulsion to the film. Ben argues that Camus adapts Moraes' retelling of Orpheus' myth to highlight the archetypal status of Orfeu as a year-god who resonates both with Easter festivities and with Frazer's pagan Eniausios Daimon. The implicit equation of modern Brazilian festivities with what Frazer represented as a primitive and uncivilized aspect of pre-Christian Europe, Ben goes on to argue, is an important lesson in how well-intentioned projects (Camus hired a predominately Brazilian cast and crew for his project, helped promote the popularization of bossa nova through the film, and based the screenplay on a Brazilian script) can nevertheless list into the sort of unintended racism Obama derided in Dreams of My Father: "The story line was simple: the myth of the ill-fated lovers Orpheus and Eurydice set in the favelas of Rio during Carnival. In Technicolor splendor, set against scenic green hills, the black and brown Brazilians sang and danced and strummed guitars like carefree birds in colorful plumage. About halfway through the movie, I decided that I’d seen enough, and turned to my mother to see if she might be ready to go."
§ Ben also presented his talk "Friendly Neighborhood Cultural Relativist Cyclops" at the Diversity and Inclusion Committee Panel of CAMWS on Wednesday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. The recording of the session is available here for a limited time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjUFbtPoAiE
Please give it a look!
§ Finally a more personal note, after testing the waters with the administration to make sure that VWU does not seem likely to be troubled by the rough storms which have buffeted some humanities divisions in other parts of the country (yay! all reports are that Classics is doing well), Ben and his wife Jessica decided that Keatsie could use a sibling: Abigail Judith is slated to arrive August 11, and Keats is excited to welcome his little sister to the world!
§ Across the past year, in addition to the above talks, Dr. Haller has completed his book manuscript and sent it off to the publisher (fingers crossed!), had an article accepted for publication in a journal, been invited to author a book chapter, and in his spare time worked slowly but surely on the Ralph Ellison project for which he received a Mednick this past year. As the summer starts, we're excited to travel (yay!) for research using our Mednick funds to complete this work, and to continue work on the monograph on the Homeric Hymns which we have also been pecking away at in our spare time.
On April 15, Dr. Joyce Howell treated Eta Sigma Phi and Classics Club to Coffee and Conversation about Nineteenth Century Art and Classical Myth!
Dr. Howell opened our eyes to the ways in which classical myths are framed and retold by artists from the Renaissance to the 19th Century: we are grateful for her excellent talk!
We Have a New Facebook Page!
Our old Facebook page went dormant when VWC became VWU and our email address (and consequently, our Facebook login and password recovery) changed.
In the spirit of spring, we have resurrected our Facebook page! To distinguish it from our old page, the new page is titled "Greek, Latin, and Classical Civilization at Virginia Wesleyan University."
We are not accepting friend requests, but invite you to like and follow the associated page for stories of our chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, our Classics Club, and other news relating to the Ancient World.
Visit us at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Greek-Latin-and-Classical-Civilization-at-Virginia-Wesleyan-University-171506091296421
In celebration of the warming weather, a spring poem from the Penguin Book of Latin Verse:
Redit aestas cunctis grata,
viret herbis iam per prata;
nemus frondibus ornatur,
sic per frondes renovatur.
Bruma vilis, nebulosa,
erat nobis taediosa.
cum Aprilis redit gratus
floribus circumstipatus.
Philomena cantilena
replet nemoris amoena,
et puellae per plateas
intricatas dant choreas.
https://www.facebook.com/Greek-Latin-and-Classical-Civilization-at-Virginia-Wesleyan-University-171506091296421
The Classics Program at VWU joins the Society for Classical Studies in pledging our opposition to structural racism, and to racism of any variety, and our support to all those seeking to help our society to do better. The SCS statement in support of the Movement for Black Lives can be found below:
Friday, February 26, VWU Classics' Ben Haller presented at the 42nd annual meeting of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association.
His topic was Marcel Camus' use of James George Frazer's Golden Bough in his representations of Carnival in the highly problematic French-Brazilian 1959 film Black Orpheus. Vinicius Moraes, the author of the play upon which it was based, and Barack Obama, among many others, have recorded reactions ranging from dislike to repulsion to the film. Ben argues that Camus adapts Moraes' retelling of Orpheus' myth to highlight the archetypal status of Orfeu as a year-god who resonates both with Easter festivities and with Frazer's pagan Eniausios Daimon. The implicit equation of modern Brazilian festivities with what Frazer represented as a primitive and uncivilized aspect of pre-Christian Europe, Ben goes on to argue, is an important lesson in how well-intentioned projects (Camus hired a predominately Brazilian cast and crew for his project, helped promote the popularization of bossa nova through the film, and based the screenplay on a Brazilian script) can nevertheless list into the sort of unintended racism Obama derided in Dreams of My Father: "The story line was simple: the myth of the ill-fated lovers Orpheus and Eurydice set in the favelas of Rio during Carnival. In Technicolor splendor, set against scenic green hills, the black and brown Brazilians sang and danced and strummed guitars like carefree birds in colorful plumage. About halfway through the movie, I decided that I’d seen enough, and turned to my mother to see if she might be ready to go." In the spirit of (a more subdued) Carnival, the picture to the left is Ben's son Keats at their own (slightly belated) Fat Tuesday celebration this year.
Ms. Veras presents her senior thesis at the Classics Senior Symposium.
Congratulations to Maribel Veras (VWU Latin Major, 2019) who recently earned a position as Catholic High School's newest Latin Teacher!
Her students are fortunate in having a Latin instructor who is erudite, well-traveled, a polyglot--and a fun and engaging instructor to boot! We are proud of her accomplishments!
Poster for Menander's Shield, produced by Cecilia Ward with Dr. Travis Malone.
Congratulations to Cecilia Ward and Mary-Catherine Rigg: we were fortunate to have not one but two of our majors win Classical Association of the Middle West and South Outstanding Accomplishment in Classical Studies Awards this year!
Amidst the slings and darts of uncertain times, take refuge in the verities of Antiquity: Take a course in Classics!* *Higher GRE, MCAT, and LSAT scores are often an added benefit.
VWU drew a large and engaged crowd for its Warrior Chorus Project on February 6 and 7, 2020.
We were privileged to meet local veterans and Peter Meineck, a NYU Professor, acclaimed director, and former British Royal Marine (and firefighter in what little spare time his other activities leave for him!). Huge thanks to our veterans for sharing your time, talents, and stories with our VWU audience! And thank you to Dr. Meineck for taking time from a busy schedule to visit and lead our veterans in performing scenes from the Odyssey and Greek tragedy!
Photos 1 and 2 (c) Jessica Haller; Photo 3 (c) Nell Hart.
CLASSICS LECTURE SERIES 2020
In cooperation with the Theatre Department; made possible by generous funding by VWU's Lighthouse Center for Exploration and Discovery and Virginia Humanities.
Former British Royal Marine and Theatre and Classics professor Peter Meineck will direct a performance of the Warrior Chorus Project, a program that teaches veterans to perform works from ancient literature. Dr. Meineck will coordinate with veteran-actors recruited from community partners such as the Virginia Stage Company to craft a staged reading of scenes from Greek tragedy. This event is free and open to the public. Thursday’s talk will be followed by a performance of Greek classics by local veterans on Friday evening. More information on the Warrior Chorus Project is available at http://www.warriorchorus.org/.
Ben Haller in the Classical Studies and Latin Programs had the following teaching, publications, and grants in 2019-2020
Teaching Overseas
Roman History (John Cabot University, Summer Session 1, 2020--postponed due to coronavirus outbreak).
Publications
Under Contract with Bloomsbury: Tacitus, Annales Book 1, translation by me, plus revision of old Bristol /Duckworth commentary, notes, vocabulary.
Book Chapters Accepted for Publication: Haller, Benjamin. 2019. “Intreat them Gently, Trayne them to that Ayre: George Sandys’s Savage Verses and Civilized Commentary at Jamestown.” Blackwell Companion to the Translation of Greek and Latin Epic.
Conference Papers:
2020 “Your Friendly Neighborhood Cultural Relativist Cyclops: Antifa, Marx, and Other Straw Men of Contemporary American Hate Groups.” Presented March 2020 at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South in Birmingham, AL. (CAMWS meeting postponed due to coronavirus outbreak).
2020 “Childe Asimov’s Pilgrimage: Freedom, Fate, and Byronic Outlaw Heroes in ‘The Stars Like Dust.’” Benjamin Haller, Thursday, 2/20 at the annual meeting of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association in Albuquerque, NM.
Literary Publications
“Kyklikoi Logoi” (Poems). Arion: A Journal of the Humanities and Classics. Published by Boston University, and including Anne Carson on its Editorial Board. Arion has published original poem by Seamus Heaney and other major world-class poets. Available here: https://www.bu.edu/arion/archive/volume-27/
Grants
Virginia Humanities Grant ($3,000) for Peter Meineck’s Warrior Chorus Project; grant application authored by Ben Haller and Travis Malone in VWU’s Theatre Department.
Sponsored Speakers/Programs
Peter Meineck's Warrior Chorus, with Peter Meineck
Regional Professional Committee Work
Selected as member of CAMWS Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, beginning 2019
Congratulations to VWU Alumna (Classical Studies, '13) Kelly Wells for her excellent presentation at the Society for Industrial Archaeology! We're proud of your success!!
Quid Novi? Fall 2019 in Classics at VWU
In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas!
Wesleyan Seminars: Starting this semester, students can complete their WES seminar requirement through courses in the Classics Department.
Law and Pre-Med: Students taking the intro Latin sequence will still complete Kitchell and Sienkewicz's Disce! series, but will now also be responsible for the material in Krill's textbook of Greek and Latin roots, which will make a class already useful for Law and Pre-Med students even more useful.
Teaching Certification: Students seeking teaching certification in Latin can now obtain an MA.Ed. through our Education department's new Master program while fulfilling requirements for the Latin component of teaching certification through our Latin major.
Classics Club: come to our first Classics Club/Eta Sigma Phi meeting of the semester to learn more about activities, careers, and jobs in Classics! Outings we're excited about:
Thomas Jefferson at the Chrysler Museum: https://chrysler.org/exhibition/thomas-jefferson-architect-palladian-models-democratic-principles-and-the-conflict-of-ideals/
Operatic Rome and Egypt: Tosca and Aida! https://vaopera.org/experience/subscriptions/
Fall 2019 Course Offerings
Fall 2019 Course Offerings
Fall 2019 Course Offerings
Many thanks to William Bruce of Gustavus Adolphus for an erudite and lively talk on the Archaeology of Sardis! (Part of the VWU Classics Department Lecture Series, generously funded by Lighthouse Center for Exploration and Discovery, April 18, 2019 in Greer 255; poster design by Dr. Bruce).
Thursday, February 7 at 4:30 p.m., Dr. Georgia Irby (Classics, College of William and Mary) spoke on "Rhapsodes and Rock Stars: the enduring Legacy of Greek Myth in Pop Music."
Poster design by Ben Haller and Georgia Irby.
A BRIEF EXCERPT FROM ROSE ERNST'S FINAL PROJECT FOR CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY, FALL 2018: THE ILIAD AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL.
Student Project for CLAS 360
Alex Powers's Scale Design for a Public Building Employing Jeffersonian/James Gibbs's Architectural Principles
Student Project for CLAS 360
Alex Powers's Scale Design for a Public Building Employing Jeffersonian/James Gibbs's Architectural Principles
Student Project for CLAS 360
Alex Powers's Scale Design for a Public Building Employing Jeffersonian/James Gibbs's Architectural Principles
Jamestown with CLAS 360
Jamestown with CLAS 360
Jamestown with CLAS 360
Colonial Williamsburg with CLAS 360
Students from CLAS 360 Tour Adam Thoroughgood House
Pavilion II at UVA (Temple of Fortuna Virilis Frieze, as in Jefferson's Bedroom!)
Students from CLAS 360 on the Porch of the Rotunda at UVA
Classics Undergraduate Research Symposium
Outings to Local Cultural Events with Eta Sigma Phi/Classics Club/Mythology Class
Presenting our Scholarship at the Classical Association of Virginia at UVA
Aline Misitis Presents her Senior Thesis at the 2018 Classics Undergraduate Research Symposium
Sydnie Allen Presents her Senior Thesis at the 2018 Classics Undergraduate Research Symposium
Maribel Veras Presents her Senior Thesis at the 2018 Classics Undergraduate Research Symposium
Dr. Haller's Blog: disiecta membra, thoughts on texts, teaching, fatherhood, and more.
Benjamin S. Haller, Associate Professor of Classics
Virginia Wesleyan University
Chair, Classics Department
(757) 233-8811
Office: Birdsong 107